A fintech specialist has unveiled bold growth plans after selling the bill payment arm of its business to focus exclusively on the card transaction market.
Takepayments has been launched by financial services professional Clive Kahn, replacing the Payzone name in Grimsby and in Stockport, in a major rebrand.
It follows a deal with the Post Office, enabling it to concentrate solely on the move towards a cashless society.
Further job creation and investment is anticipated this year, following the brand launch, with the unveiled entity described as “the newest and most exciting player in card payments”.
The company already employs 370 people, with 180 in Greater Manchester, 100 in North East Lincolnshire and 90 in the field across the 海角视频.
It has a stated intent to “disrupt the card payments market”, with fintech talent having “teamed up to drive forward one of the oldest, and most prominent non-banking financial brands on the high street into a new era”.
already boasts a backbone of 45,000 business users, and believes the combination of IT solutions and face-to-face customer service will drive it forward.
Mr Kahn is a former chief executive of Travelex. In 2008 – backed by private equity – he acquired Grimsby-founded Cardsave, selling to Worldpay in 2015. He returned to Grimsby when Worldpay closed Cardsave’s Grimsby office, wiping out more than 140 jobs, in a move seen as reneging on assurances Mr Kahn had been given as part of the deal.
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Now he is ramping up the new entity, where scores of staff from the former successful venture joined him on the town's flagship Europarc business park.
Mr Kahn said: “Our ‘make it easy’ strapline describes our value proposition of a high service product and the logo portrays the happy human side of our business.
“We are totally focused on making it easier for customers. We’ll be delivering innovative ways to help customers make managing their business simple. This includes a wide range of card machines, online payment gateways that are easy to use and electronic point of sale systems, which are essentially a ‘business in a box’.
“There are no one-size-fits-all price lists, no boring jargon, and you certainly won’t speak to lacklustre people on the end of the phone. Plus, our 12-month contracts are one of the shortest on the market.”
The launch has been galvanised by research that shows five million people lead a close to cashless lifestyle and demand for cashless payments is set to grow. By 2024 it’s forecast that 50 per cent of payments will be on debit cards across the 海角视频, having overtaken cash in 2017. They have remained the most frequently used payment method in the 海角视频 , accounting for nearly four in every 10 payments.
Mr Kahn said expansion plans will see the main offices bring jobs to the two local areas, while across the 海角视频 roles will be created through their local payment consultants model - with staff in the field, on the high streets.
With an ever-increasing number of businesses looking to automate customer service and use AI technology, Mr Kahn said Takepayments wants to make sure customers still get that personal connection.
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“We have a dedicated account management team who will hold our customers’ hands to make sure that they’re confident in taking payments. And our customer support team are on hand at any point to answer any questions our customers may have,” he added.
Mr Kahn led the sale of Travelex to Apax Partners in 2005, in what was a £1 billion deal, leaving in 2006.
After Cardsave, launched in 1995 by Paul Bentham – who went on to create Retail Merchant Services, itself sold in 2017 – Mr Kahn operated under the Mainline Payments banner briefly, before swooping for the Payzone brand in 2016.
Backed by Grovepoint Capital, his senior team includes partners chief financial officer Mark Dann and chief operating officer Rupert Lowery, both former Cardsave senior managers who had joined Worldpay, with Andrew McCann, as chief sales officer.
Bill Payments was sold to Post Office Ltd in 2018, with Payzone Bill Payments retailers continuing to provide services in stores under the brand.
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